12 Ways for Leaders to Incorporate Self-Reflection All Year

As 2023 comes to a close, I can’t help but think about how the end of each year is when we all tend to take the time to reflect. We look back at what we have done and forward to the next year for a fresh start. Taking time to reflect is valuable all year long, particularly the higher you rank in your organization. As the face and backbone of your company, being aware of the small and large accomplishments and hurdles is key to elevating your game. Here are 12 ways to incorporate self-reflection all year, along with some helpful links.  

 

#1 Write It Down

Leaders are inundated with information, obligations, opinions, requests… Keeping a journal handy makes it easy to make notes and jot down ideas throughout the day. One option is “The Effective Executive: A Journal for Getting the Right Things Done,” written by the classic leadership guru Peter Drucker. Another way to go, for the more tech-savvy among us, is the reMarkable digital notebook, which allows you to hand-write notes but stores everything digitally.

Get the Digital Notebook Get the Drucker Journal

 

#2 Review Goals

Not all goals remain valuable forever. Regularly revisit the goals you set for yourself and your company and the goals your teams and employees are working toward. Most importantly, make sure your goals are still taking you in the direction you want to go. This TED Podcast, “ReThinking with Adam Grant,” explores what’s behind goal setting.

Listen to the TED Podcast

 

#3 Create Regular Checkpoints

You’re busy, and it’s easy to skip over that planning session or that break you put in your calendar. Holding yourself accountable is more intuitive when you have created checkpoints in your day, week, month, year… One way is to schedule assessments like Everything DiSC 363. Here is an example of the results you might see.

See the Sample DiSC 363 Report

 

#4 Be Consistent

We are always preaching about consistency. The same holds true for self-reflection. The more consistently you reflect, the more you gain from the practice. This decade-old Harvard Business Review article illustrates the importance of communication consistency.

Read the HBR Article

 

#5 Connect with Peers

Connecting with other leaders in similar roles within or outside of your organization or industry always helps put things into perspective. Comparing notes doesn’t mean giving away secret recipes but rather enables you to see the issues you are facing from a different angle. Back during the Pandemic, we held regular Office Hours where leaders from different organizations could talk in a safe and confidential space. Send us an email ([email protected]) to join a leadership peer group.

Let Us Know That You’re Interested

 

#6 Read

We have a tall stack of leadership books that we reference and reread, and we are always researching new angles on leadership. Here is a list of books we’ve collected that have made an impact on us. 

Check Out Our Leadership Reads Page

 

#7 Take Your Mind Off It

Not thinking about work, work issues, business hurdles, or industry changes is as important as focusing on all of that. Just like waking up at 2AM with a solution to a problem you’ve been wrestling with, traveling, going to plays or movies, or taking your family to dinner can bring about growth. 

Schedule a Trip

 

#8 Be A Mentor

Sure, mentoring a young professional helps them with career direction, but it does more than just that. Talking through and revisiting where you’ve been and what brought you to where you are can be a valuable exercise. You’ve worked hard, and sometimes all that effort gets lost to history. Working with rising leaders is worthwhile for all involved. Our Leadership Development program can help you get started creating opportunities for mentoring.

Learn More About Leadership Development

 

#9 Seek Team Feedback

Another area fundamental to successful leadership is transparency and trust. One simple step toward building trust and offering transparency is to ask your teams and employees for feedback. Understanding different opinions and perspectives, even if you disagree with them, can be illuminating. Having a solid foundation has led many leaders through difficult times more successfully. 

Read the Liddell Leads Article

 

#10 Face the Difficult Stuff

Although sticking your head in the sand may be tempting, not acknowledging conflict can actually create more problems. Confronting difficult partners, speaking with employees about missteps, and facing changing customer trends are all difficult but important to face. We dedicated a whole newsletter to it. Take a minute to review the ideas and tips.

Re-Read the Conflict Newsletter

 

#11 Change Things Up

Necessity is the mother of invention. Isn’t that how the saying goes? The Pandemic and quarantine forced us all to change how we work. Once upon a time, “remote” was a foreign work setup. It no longer is, and many companies and leaders have benefited from the lessons learned. Don’t wait for change to be forced on you – make change a habit. It can be as small as rearranging your desk or office or as big as exploring a 4-day work week. Here’s an article we wrote on the debate.

Read About the Debate

 

#12 Partner with a Coach

One of the significant benefits of self-reflection is objectivity. Whether you gain it through reading and learning or stepping away, a clear view can help every one of us. Of course, one of Liddell Consulting’s core functions is to coach executives, business owners, rising leaders, and retiring leaders. We would love to work with you (again).

 

Schedule a Free Consultation